Published: Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 9:29 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 9:29 p.m.

Standing at the front of a roomful of students in the Broadmoor Elementary School auditorium, John White ticked off a list of schools.

“These are very special schools,” said White, the state’s Superintendent of Education. “Only a small number off schools made this list.”

The kids politely applauded as he listed off each of the 10 schools. But when he got to their school, they went wild.

“Looks like these are some kids who love their school,” White said, as the uproar died down.

White was in town to reward the 10 schools for earning the Top Gains label by growing students’ test scores faster than expected. White brought praise, but also cash — each school named a Top Gains school got about $8,500, netting the district a total of almost $85,000.

“This money is certainly much appreciated,” said Superintendent Philip Martin, who accepted the check on behalf of the schools. “We’re glad to see the state recognizing the amazing work our teachers are doing.”

White’s visit was more than just a pep rally, however. After the students were dismissed, teachers from all over Terrebonne Parish gathered in the cafeteria to talk with the schools chief about the slew of changes his department has been implementing.

Much of the discussion focused on the looming transition into the Common Core Standards, a set of new, tougher teaching goals that states nationwide are moving toward in the next few years.

Several teachers complained they didn’t know whether they should be teaching the new standards or the old ones.

“We’re teaching everything we’ve always taught and also the new stuff,” one teacher said. “Teachers are overworking themselves because they’re scared we’re going to get hit on the evaluations.”

Several teachers said they were especially scared of the changes because of new laws that tie their tenure, pay and other job security to student test scores.

White acknowledged that the state Department of Education has sometimes not communicated well with teachers in the past. He showed teachers several recent efforts on the state level to help them learn about the change, including an online Teacher Toolbox with things such as curriculum guides and sample units and tests.

Those resources are available online at louisianabelieves.com.

Later that afternoon, White met with about a dozen local parents with children in the state’s school voucher program.

Nineteen students in Terrebonne Parish are on a voucher, which uses taxpayer money to pay private school tuition for low-income students at low-scoring schools.

The program has drawn fire from some opponents who say it is sapping money from the public school system. But all of the parents who met with White Tuesday said their children are thriving in their private schools.

“It was a blessing for me,” said Reba Wolf, whose 10-year-old son is attending Maria Immacolatta on a voucher. “He’s being challenged by the material. He is loving school more than he ever did.”

White told the parents they should still re-enroll their students despite a judge’s ruling that the program is unconstitutional. That decision is on appeal to the state Supreme Court.

White emphasized the judge had ruled the way the program was paid for was unconstitutional, not the program itself.

“We are very committed to keeping this program open,” he said. “We are appealing that decision, and we’re looking at other ways to keep the program funded even if the appeal doesn’t go our way.”

Staff Writer Matthew Albright can be reached at 448-7635 or at matthew.albright@dailycomet.com.

<p>Standing at the front of a roomful of students in the Broadmoor Elementary School auditorium, John White ticked off a list of schools.</p><p>“These are very special schools,” said White, the state's Superintendent of Education. “Only a small number off schools made this list.”</p><p>The kids politely applauded as he listed off each of the 10 schools. But when he got to their school, they went wild.</p><p>“Looks like these are some kids who love their school,” White said, as the uproar died down.</p><p>White was in town to reward the 10 schools for earning the Top Gains label by growing students' test scores faster than expected. White brought praise, but also cash — each school named a Top Gains school got about $8,500, netting the district a total of almost $85,000. </p><p>“This money is certainly much appreciated,” said Superintendent Philip Martin, who accepted the check on behalf of the schools. “We're glad to see the state recognizing the amazing work our teachers are doing.”</p><p>White's visit was more than just a pep rally, however. After the students were dismissed, teachers from all over Terrebonne Parish gathered in the cafeteria to talk with the schools chief about the slew of changes his department has been implementing.</p><p>Much of the discussion focused on the looming transition into the Common Core Standards, a set of new, tougher teaching goals that states nationwide are moving toward in the next few years.</p><p>Several teachers complained they didn't know whether they should be teaching the new standards or the old ones.</p><p>“We're teaching everything we've always taught and also the new stuff,” one teacher said. “Teachers are overworking themselves because they're scared we're going to get hit on the evaluations.”</p><p>Several teachers said they were especially scared of the changes because of new laws that tie their tenure, pay and other job security to student test scores.</p><p>White acknowledged that the state Department of Education has sometimes not communicated well with teachers in the past. He showed teachers several recent efforts on the state level to help them learn about the change, including an online Teacher Toolbox with things such as curriculum guides and sample units and tests.</p><p>Those resources are available online at louisianabelieves.com. </p><p>Later that afternoon, White met with about a dozen local parents with children in the state's school voucher program. </p><p>Nineteen students in Terrebonne Parish are on a voucher, which uses taxpayer money to pay private school tuition for low-income students at low-scoring schools. </p><p>The program has drawn fire from some opponents who say it is sapping money from the public school system. But all of the parents who met with White Tuesday said their children are thriving in their private schools.</p><p>“It was a blessing for me,” said Reba Wolf, whose 10-year-old son is attending Maria Immacolatta on a voucher. “He's being challenged by the material. He is loving school more than he ever did.”</p><p>White told the parents they should still re-enroll their students despite a judge's ruling that the program is unconstitutional. That decision is on appeal to the state Supreme Court.</p><p>White emphasized the judge had ruled the way the program was paid for was unconstitutional, not the program itself. </p><p>“We are very committed to keeping this program open,” he said. “We are appealing that decision, and we're looking at other ways to keep the program funded even if the appeal doesn't go our way.”</p><p>Staff Writer Matthew Albright can be reached at 448-7635 or at matthew.albright@dailycomet.com.</p>